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In 1868 Congress impeached President Andrew Johnson of Tennessee, the man who had succeeded the murdered Lincoln, bringing the nation to the brink of a second civil war. Enraged to see the freed slaves abandoned to brutal violence at the hands of their former owners, distraught that former rebels threatened to regain control of Southern state governments, and disgusted by Johnson's brawling political style, congressional Republicans seized on a legal technicality as the basis for impeachment -- whether Johnson had the legal right to fire his own secretary of war, Edwin Stanton.

The fiery but mortally ill Congressman Thaddeus Stevens of Pennsylvania led the impeachment drive, abetted behind the scenes by the military hero and president-in-waiting, General Ulysses S. Grant.

The Senate trial featured the most brilliant lawyers of the day, along with some of the least scrupulous, while leading political fixers maneuvered in dark corners to save Johnson's presidency with political deals, promises of patronage jobs, and even cash bribes. Johnson escaped conviction by a single vote.

David Stewart, the author of the highly acclaimed The Summer of 1787, the bestselling account of the writing of the Constitution, challenges the traditional version of this pivotal moment in American history. Rather than seeing Johnson as Abraham Lincoln's political heir, Stewart explains how the Tennessean squandered Lincoln's political legacy of equality and fairness and helped force the freed slaves into a brutal form of agricultural peonage across the South.

When the clash between Congress and president threatened to tear the nation apart, the impeachment process substituted legal combat for violent confrontation. Both sides struggled to inject meaning into the baffling requirement that a president be removed only for "high crimes and misdemeanors," while employing devious courtroom gambits, backstairs spies, and soaring rhetoric. When the dust finally settled, the impeachment process had allowed passions to cool sufficiently for the nation to survive the bitter crisis.

With the dramatic expansion of the powers of the presidency, and after two presidential impeachment crises in the last forty years, the lessons of the first presidential impeachment are more urgent than ever.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

"A Republic No More: Big Government and the Rise of American Political Corruption"
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

What would you say if someone were to ask you to come up with one fact about President Andrew Johnson? Many would respond by saying that he was the 17th President of the United States or that Johnson succeeded to the Presidency following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Some might add that Johnson only served one term. I'm sure many of us would recall that President Andrew Johnson was impeached by the House of Representatives but acquitted by one vote by the U.S. Senate. Many of us might also state our belief that the reason Johnson was impeached was that he disagreed with the harsh and vengeful policies of the Radical Republicans and because, following in Lincoln's footsteps, he adopted a compassionate and conciliatory attitude toward the South. The reality, as David O. Stewart amply demonstrates in this book, is quite different. Johnson was a staunch states' rights advocate and didn't see a problem with the former Confederate states doing whatever they wanted now that the Civil War was over. Ex-Confederates were elected to government office and Southern governments imposed Black Codes to deny former slaves their rights. President Johnson also opposed passage of the 14th Amendment. Some of us may remember having read President John Fitzgerald Kennedy's Profiles in Courage and will recall his account of the courage of Kansas Senator Edmund G. Ross and I quote, "the man who saved a President and who, as a result, may have preserved for ourselves and posterity constitutional government in the United States." Again, David Stewart shows us in this book that the reality is quite different.Read more ›

Only 35 years ago the certainty of impeachment and conviction drove an American President to resign in mid-term. Only 11 years ago another President was acquitted after trial by the U.S. Senate. Last year "Impeach Obama" bumper stickers were available even before the current President took his oath. Thus the time is ripe for a fresh look at the attempted impeachment of Andrew Johnson back in 1868. This was the case that set the tone on this momentous issue and laid down ground rules that have been followed ever since.

The conventional account --- the one we all learned in high school --- held that Johnson was attacked on a flimsy pretext by the Radical Republicans merely because he tried to carry out the assassinated Lincoln's policy of reconciliation and leniency toward the defeated Confederate States. The anti-Johnson faction allegedly wanted the South to be treated like a conquered enemy country, its leaders disciplined and the freed blacks given their rights forthwith. The Radicals were painted as partisan zealots, Johnson as a weak and flawed man but nonetheless the victim of a savage political vendetta.

David O. Stewart, a lawyer and respected historian, begs to differ. His hero --- are you ready for this? --- is dour and implacable Thaddeus Stevens, the "soul" of the impeachment movement. He sees Johnson's defenders as a cabal of self-seeking officeholders and sleazy bagmen. His evidence, though largely circumstantial, is voluminous and marshaled with lawyerly expertise. Bribery and backroom dealmaking were rampant on both sides, Stewart says, but he devotes much more space to the activities of Johnson loyalists than to those of his opponents.Read more ›

Stewart's incredible research and storytelling skills combine in this book to turn the impeachment of Andrew Johnson into an important and riveting tale. "David O. Stewart's 'Impeached' is the fullest recounting we have of the high politics of that immediate post-Civil War period," says the Washington Post. "Stewart's graceful style and storytelling ability make for a good read."Equally important, Stewart reminds of us of the historical importance of this moment in the 19th century, how it tested our Constitution, and he makes a compelling case that corruption played an important role in determining the outcome.This book will finally put to rest the romantic and inaccurate account contained in John F. Kennedy's "Profiles in Courage."

David Stewart is an excellent writer, who displays his talent in this book. He has the ability to present what is often nothing more than speeches and meetings in a fresh and readable manner. A lawyer, who has handled impeachment cases, he uses this experience and training to good effect. He makes both the issues and legalize understandable and interesting. This is no small feat, as impeachments can be very political while requiring a legal foundation. The author manages to establish the legal and political reasons behind this impeachment as we move through all the maneuvering by both sides.The author's sympathies are with Congressional Reconstruction and he clearly favors impeaching President Johnson. For the majority of the book he tries to avoid a "soapbox" approach. This falls apart in the last fifty pages as an agenda emerges. At this point, it makes little difference in the narration but I found the switch unsettling.In many ways, this is bad guys vs. worse guys, with the reader deciding who is who. Neither the Radicals in congress nor the President tried to avoid a confrontation. The positions of the two sides were not compatible and comprise was all but impossible. The book has a good history of the confrontations between the President, Congress, the defeated South and the victorious North. All of this is plays out in the shadow of U.S. Grant, who everyone is expects to be President in 1868.Why don't I like this book?First, the author's sources are questionable. For much of the chapters on bribing senators, he uses the Butler hearings as a source. All of the bribery information is presented as established fact.Read more ›

More About the Author

David O. Stewart turned to writing after more than a quarter century of law practice in Washington, D.C. as a trial and appellate lawyer. His first book, about the writing of the Constitution (The Summer of 1787), grew out of Supreme Court case he was working on. It was a Washington Post Bestseller and won the Washington Writing Prize for Best Book of 2007. His second book (Impeached), had its roots in a judicial impeachment trial he defended before the United States Senate in 1989. His next book -- American Emperor: Aaron Burr's Challenge to Jefferson's America -- explored Burr's astounding Western expedition of 1805-07 and his treason trial before Chief Justice John Marshall. All three books have received starred prepublication reviews from Kirkus or Publishers Weekly. He has received the 2013 History Award of the Society of the Cincinnati.

In August 2013, Stewart began a new chapter in his writing life with the release of "The Lincoln Deception," an historical novel exploring the John Wilkes Booth conspiracy. A short story of his was previously nominated for the Pushcart Prize. He also is working a non-fiction study of James Madison and the remarkably influential partnerships through which he shaped American history.

Stewart lives with his wife in Maryland. Visit his website at www.davidostewart.com.